How to Reduce Stress Like a Navy SEAL

These are stressful, uncertain times. How are we supposed to be calm and productive workers amid all this chaos?

There is one simple way to cage the monkey on your back we call stress, and it can be done anytime, anywhere. It’s called box breathing — a time-honored stress-reducing technique endorsed by none other than the U.S. Navy SEALs. For them, it’s a way to stay calm and focused — and, therefore, alive — before and after intense combat. For us civilian folk, it’s an insanely simple trick to keep everyday stressors at bay. And it can be done in five minutes flat. Here’s how:

How to Breathe Like a Navy SEAL

Step 1: Find a comfortable chair or place to lie down.

Step 2: Inhale for 4 seconds (while the circle above is expanding).

Step 3: Hold air in your lungs for 4 seconds (while the circle is expanded).

Step 4: Exhale for 4 seconds, emptying all of the air in your lungs (as the circle contracts).